Five Times Nick and Jess Have To Navigate Already Living Together
by Bimadabomi
Summary: Five times Nick and Jess navigate already living together when they've only just begun dating (and one time they don't have to).
1. Prologue

It's morning in the loft, and Nick finds himself in the kitchen alone- a rarity- to eat his cereal and glance at the newspaper.

He's more pretending to read the paper, though, as his mind is lost in thoughts.

Last night had been his first date with Jess. Well – okay, their second date. Second first date? _The hell_, he thinks, but he's really not all that surprised that their relationship is anything but normal.

They'd joked on the way home about "going home together," and Jess had bantered a bit at the door. "Aren't you going to invite me in? If not I'll just use my key!"

Or, she'd tried to banter – being that he was already halfway through the door, pulling her with him, their lips fused together and hands ready to tear at clothes. Knowing Jess, it was one bit of banter she'd been waiting to use and refused to let the opportunity slip by.

"Morning," Schmidt says, jarring Nick from his thoughts as Schmidt coming out of his bedroom. He glances around the particularly empty kitchen. "Where're Winston and Jess?"

Nick barely glanced up from the newspaper that he wasn't reading. "Winston's at the gym. Jess is in the shower."

"Barely? She's running late today," Schmidt notices, glancing at his watch.

"_Yeah_," Nick says with a chuckle, a knowing smirk on his face. Probably because they had slept in after being up half the night together. Schmidt notices the smirk frowns for a moment, then gasps accusingly.

"No!" he exclaims, pointing a wriggling finger at Nick.

"Oh, lay off it," Nick says with a roll of his eyes. "You knew this was happening."

"Did you break the contract?" he asks, in almost a whisper. Nick ignores him, so he repeats it louder. "Nicholas Miller, did you _break_ the _contract_!"

Nick opens his mouth to say something and then shuts it abruptly as Jess walks out of the bathroom in her robe. It's the short pink one he likes. The one that made him kiss her that first time. His _catnip_. He's pretty sure she chooses it to torture him now. She glances around at the loft and catches sight of Schmidt. "Morning." She catches Nick's eyes a moment later and they share a knowing, soft smile before she heads to her bedroom.

"Damnit, Miller, _you did_!" Schmidt exclaims.

"So what if I did!" Nick returns. "I'd do it again. In fact, I will do it again! That's a promise."

"Do you realize what you're getting yourself into?" Schmidt asks him. "Yeah, Jess is hot. I get it. Fine." Nick knows he doesn't _really_, though. Yes, she's hot. They all know that. That's why he came up with that goddamn No Nail Contract back when she moved in. But he knows for a fact Schmidt, and Winston for that matter, have never really felt an attraction for her. It's completely platonic. "But seriously? You do realize you're already living with the woman you just started dating?"

"C'mon," Nick argues, though he's pretty sure he and Jess both noticed the same thing last night when there was no question about if they'd go home together, no negotiating whose place is closest, no awkward 'I should go' conversation afterwards, no having to ask to borrow a toothbrush or something to sleep in, no shock over seeing each other's bed head the next morning. So far, it seemed to make things way more comfortable and easy. "It's not that big a deal. So what?"

"Uh, yeah. This morning you woke up, after your first date with Jess, and you're already living with her. No getting rid of her, no sir. She's not going to leave to go home and shower and get ready for work. She's already home. She just has to go ten feet to the shower!"

"You're over thinking this, man."

"There's no getting away from her."

"I think you're failing to see the part where I'm not _trying_ to _get away from her_."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Schmidt says, grabbing his keys and his coat and heading out the door. "You're on boyfriend duty 24/7!" he yells as the door closes behind him. Nick rolls his eyes.

Then Jess appears again, dressed this time. However, it's the short purple dress and it's just as enticing to Nick as the pink robe. It's just the two of them and Nick thinks _Schmidt's an idiot_, as they grin at each other.


	2. The First Time

Three weeks into dating, they realize their situation is a little unorthodox.

Jess comes home, like any other afternoon, and finds Nick on the couch watching TV.

"Hey!" she chirps happily, flopping down beside him. She gives him a smile and a kiss on the cheek. "What're you watching?"

He shrugs. "Winston insists I push through _Downton Abbey_."

"You're _still_ trying to watch that?" she asks with a laugh. She leans back and throws her feet across Nick's lap. He immediately finds her legs and gives them a squeeze. She watches with him in silence for a few minutes, until he sighs with exasperation.

"What's the matter?" she laughs, eyeing him. She knows how frustrating he finds _Downton Abbey. _"Is it the characters again?"

"I mean what the hell," he grumbles, gesturing at the TV with one hand, the other still on her leg. "I _just_ figured out who everyone was, now they're throwing in new characters left and right."

She chuckles and leans back on the couch, letting her head rest on her hand. They continue to watch in silence – Nick still totally lost – as he slides his hand up and down her leg.

She notices right away when his hand starts inching just a tiny bit higher with each stroke. First it passes her knee. Then it's squeezing her thigh. Then he brushes the edge of her dress. Then it's under her dress and –

"Wait!" she squeals, jumping up from the couch in alarm. Nick looks at her as if she's lost her mind – the way he often finds himself looking at her.

"What's the matter?" he asks her, watching her start to twist her arms around her body in unnatural ways.

"Nothing! I mean… no, I'm fine."

"Then what…?"

"Just give me a sec!" she declares, and before he can question her any more she's off like a flash, headed for her bedroom, door closing behind her.

And he thought _Downton_ _Abbey_ was confusing. It had nothing on Jessica Day. Nick stood, confused. "What the hell?" he mumbled to himself as he heard the sounds of Jess rummaging around in her bedroom. _Damn Jess_, he thought, hovering in front of her bedroom door. He raised his hand to knock and then hesitates as he wonders if their three weeks of dating allows him to enter her bedroom without warning, a situation no couple this new usually has to navigate (point for Schmidt). He decides to hell with it, knowing she'd hold him off with an excuse if he knocked, and barged his way in.

"Jess, what the hell is going on?" he asks her, watching her rummage through her drawers.

"Nick!" she screeches, surprised by his presence. "I'm _changing_."

He rolls his eyes. "I've seen you naked. Like, a lot. What in the world are you doing?"

"Just give me a sec," she pleads and he holds up his hands in defeat.

"Fine, you got it." With that, he returns to the living room, letting the door close behind him.

When she returns a minute later, she doesn't seem prepared to explain anything.

"Sorry. So, where were we?" she asks, sidling up to him with a grin.

"I… we… huh?" Nick takes a moment to look her over, noticing she was wearing the same blue dress she'd had on ten minutes ago when she walked in the door. So much for changing.

She leans in to kiss him, but he can't help but chuckle.

"Nick!" she admonishes.

"Seriously, Jess? No explanation?"

She sighs, beginning to realize he wasn't going to let this go. "I had to change."

"You're wearing the same dress."

"Not my dress. My… _undergarments_." Nick blinks at her, not completely understanding where she's going with this. "You know, it was _laundry day_ today and I had on the worst, ugliest… my grandma panties."

Now Nick is laughing and she glares at him. "I'm serious!"

"I know!" he returns. "Oh believe me, I know you are. That's why it's funny."

"I don't know," she continues defending her choice to change. "It just seemed like you wanted to get in to some monkey business back there on the couch, with your hand…"

"Those were my intentions, yes," he confirms, reaching for her and pulling her into his arms."Monkey business," he repeats with a feigned seriousness.

"And we couldn't… not with my grandma undies… I just forget sometimes, you know, that you're here all the time, where _I_ am all the time, and we might start going at it at any time."

"Do you _honestly_ think I care what kind of underwear you have on?"

"Believe me, these were the _opposite_ of sexy. "

"Believe _me_, I don't care. Newsflash, all that stuff is just in the way. I try to get it off you as fast as possible."

"I've… noticed," she says with a laugh, allowing herself to settle into his arms.

"Hey, how about this?" he asks, planting a kiss on her lips. "From now on…" he kisses her neck, moving his lips up towards her ear. He gives it a nibble before whispering in it. "Just don't wear anything. Saves you worry, saves me time."

"Mmm," she mumbles against his lips. "You wish, Miller." She melts into his kisses for a moment before she adds, "Seriously though, no grandma panties until we're at least three months in."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," he returns and then there was no more conversation.


	3. The Second Time

They've been dating four weeks when they have their first fight.

Sure, they fight all the time. They've always fought all the time. About who's right and who's wrong. About the world. About basic household chores. About television and music. About anything and everything.

But they've never _fought_ as a couple.

Until the night they're out grabbing pizza.

It's a casual date. They realized early on that they put too much pressure on themselves when they try and go all out. "It's fine for once in a while," Jess had declared. "But we're best together when we're just _together_, having fun."

So sometimes they actually _do_ go to the hotdog cart. Or to get milkshakes. Or for pizza.

It's Friday night and Jess is particularly glad it's the weekend. She's had a long week, work has exhausted her, and she's seen Nick far too little this week for her liking. (A perk of living together even though they've just begun dating… they always manage to catch a few minutes together, a few make out sessions, or in one particular instance, a quickie against his bedroom door – when in other relationships this new, a busy week would mean not seeing each other at all.)

She's happy to be out, to have the promise of sleeping in tomorrow morning, to be spending time with Nick for more than ten minutes. And she's in the mood to sing.

So, she sings. She sings the menu to Nick – which he takes in good stride.

She sings her order to the waiter – which _he _also takes in good stride.

She sings about her day to Nick. Well, she only sings the important parts, for _emphasis_. He's used to it. He doesn't blink an eye.

She sings "hello" and "have a good weekend!" to the family she knows that just walked in – one of her old students. He rolls his eyes, albeit playfully.

She sings the "whole damn night," as Nick eventually puts it.

"Well, _excuse_ me," she huffs, though it's not yet a fight. It's still playful.

They eat and talk and she makes a mental note not to sing _quite_ as much. Not because she cares what Nick says, but because maybe she _is_ overdoing it.

Then they go to get ice-cream. And she sings her order to the woman behind the counter.

"Would you knock that off already!" Nick finally bursts. "You're driving me crazy, that's so annoying." She gives him a look and she can tell that it's already something he wishes he hadn't said. But it's too late and she's annoyed anyway. The woman behind the counter is staring at her, the family of her student is giving them a look, and a teenage couple sitting at a table sharing a milkshake snicker at her. It's Friday night. She's happy. She wants to sing. Screw him.

"Screw you." She doesn't realize she says this aloud, until she sees his shocked face (and the glare of the woman in line behind them, with three small children). "Sorry," she tells her. "I apologize. I don't usually do that. I have a teaching credential!" she declares.

She's not sure what exactly she said next or what he said next but she knows a few more sets of eyes are watching them and they've each thrown out one more word or phrase or insult they immediately want to take back.

And then they realize that they're having their _first fight_ as a couple (small on the scale of Nick and Jess arguments, but as a couple it seems somehow _bigger_) and _they live together_ so they still have to go all the way home together. They have to ride home in silence. They have to walk from where he parks his car, together (if only he'd gotten that _freakin' parking spot_, Jess thinks). They have to go up in the elevator, together, unlock the door, together, and only _then_ can they have their space to brood.

She goes to bed, and he goes to bed. But then it's morning and they wake up and they're sharing the same bathroom, the same kitchen, the same space all day until he goes to work for a shift at the bar. They're not talking to each other (and Schmidt notices and keeps giving them _I told you so!_ looks) and then she starts to wonder.

Now what? Are they fighting? Are they going to make up? Are they _breaking up_? Are they broken up? Sometimes, in relationships this new, something like this is all it takes and it's done.

And then he comes home and the next day they do it all over again, the avoiding, the awkward moments when they both leave their bedrooms at the same time, when they both want to watch TV, when they both head towards the refrigerator at once.

Then it gets even more absurd when he corners her in _the bathroom_, of all places. The freakin' _bathroom_.

"Jess," he says, his voice apologetic. Are they really about to work out their first fight _in a bathroom? _THEIR bathroom? They are a couple having their _first_ fight and they have a bathroom that's _theirs_.

"Hi," she says, and she realizes it sounds lame but she doesn't know what else to say. "Yep. Yeah. That's me," she continues, since he doesn't.

"I'm sorry," he says simply and she looks at him in surprise. Just like that? Nick, of all people? "I was a real jerk. I'm sorry."

"Me too," she says softly.

"It's not your fault," he tells her, looking guilty. "I started it. I embarrassed you. I'm sorry."

"Well, 'Screw you' was pretty harsh," she admits. "I'm sorry too."

He looks at her and neither of them seem to know what to say or do next. "Are we… okay?" he asks her.

She nods and then a smile forms on her lips. "Not even the worst fight we've ever had," she points out.

He reaches for her then, and she feels instant relief, like a weight has been lifted. They're going to be okay. It was just a stupid little fight. She knows sometimes this can be the end of new relationships. You end a date on an awkward note, you both wait for the other to make a move first, neither does, too much time passes and then it's too weird to call and it just fizzles out.

But hey, they _live together_. The normal rules don't always apply.

She realizes she's been in her own head a moment too long to realize what's going on around her, because Nick's closer and his breath is warm on her face and he's kissing her… and damn is he _kissing her_.

"Did we really just make up in the bathroom?" she mumbles against his lips when they take a short (short) breath for air. He chuckles and she adds. "We sure know sexy."

"Mmmhmm," he returns, kissing her again. "Trust me, we've barely started the making up."

"Is that so," she giggles. She's happy again. She almost wants to sing—

It's almost as if he reads her mind.

"Sing it."

"Huh?"

"Come on, sing about it."

She laughs as he tugs on her to get her moving in the right direction – the direction _away_ from the bathroom and towards one of their bedrooms – and she can't help herself.

"Going to the beeeeedroooom," she sings. "Gonna make-up! I'm so going to screw youuuuu!"

At that, they both burst out laughing and their makeout is momentarily halted.

"You are so sexy," he whispers in her ear before planting kisses down her neck. "Keep singing." He pulls back for a moment to look at her. "Always. No matter what I say."

"Remember you said that. I think you're going to be sorry one day."

He chuckles. "Your place or mine?" he jokes as they find themselves in the middle of the hallway. It's starting to become one of their favorite little quips, both finding it more amusing than it probably really is.

"Both," she tells him.


	4. The Third Time

It's not that she didn't learn from the granny panties incident.

She's learned that when you're living with your boyfriend of only five weeks, you have to be prepared for intamacy at any time. It's just a fact. Sure, they're already comfortable with each other. Of course, they've seen each other in pajamas and robes and with bed head and he's seen her sans make-up. As _roommates_. But now they're not just roommates and sure, maybe she still walks around the loft in her robe sans make-up (or maybe she puts a little foundation on, quickly, before leaving her room in the morning... maybe) or puts on her oldest sweats after a long day at work. But the other things, the ones no one would see but her before (like her shaved legs or her undergarment choices or her pedicured toes) or care about if she was just in the loft with the guys, those were the ones she had to catch. Right now it's still new enough that she wants to entice him. Seduce him. She doesn't want to be caught off guard when it comes to those _un_-roommate like activities, the ones she doesn't engage in with Winston or Schmidt.

So, she's careful with her underwear choices from then on. Just in case. Even when she thinks she'll have time to come home from work and change and get sexy before she encounters Nick (because she's already learned that she can't predict when she might find him and just _want_ him, when she's not expecting him to be home). She makes sure to use lotion every day after she showers instead of just when she plans to wear a dress or has a date. She shaves every day, even when it's cold outside and her legs will be bundled. She always brushes her teeth after eating, or at least grabs some gum, because now she knows it's always a possibility she might be kissing someone at any given moment.

Just in case.

Except, well, sometimes.

She's running late for work one morning after sleeping in over her alarm (totally Nick's fault she was so tired, anyway, she thinks) and she hops in the shower as fast as she can. She's careful not to wake Nick up as she untangles herself from him and his bed. Not only because she knows he's probably tired, too, and doesn't have to work today, but because she's worried he'll make her altogether late. She skips the deep conditioner on her hair and shaving her legs for the sake of getting to work on time. She skips the lotion, too, and even half of her make-up (she can put that on during her break at work, anyhow).

By the time she comes home, she's exhausted. She decides to catch a quick nap. She dozes in her room for close to two hours (maybe not so quick after all).

When she emerges, the guys are in the living room debating something (as usual). It appears to be something pointless (as usual) and they're ignoring the TV that they're supposedly watching as it continues blasting in the background, trying to get their attention. They all look up when she appears.

"Well hello, Sleeping Beauty," Schmidt quips. "How nice of you to finally grace us with your presence."

She ignores him, as usual. Sometimes there's no response for Schmidt.

"Guess someone wore you out last night, huh?" Winston adds with a teasing grin. Schmidt snickers and gives Nick a raise of his eyebrows. She doesn't have to respond to Winston, either, because Nick's already giving the back of his head a slap. "Ouch! Dude, it was just a joke."

She has to admit, Winston and Schmidt have handled this pretty well. She knows they weren't (aren't?) particularly happy that she and Nick went down this road (Schmidt barely stopped talking about that damn _contract_) and she can't blame them. She knows they sort of changed the dynamics of 4D. For her and Nick, there are enough benefits to make it worthwhile. For Winston and Schmidt, they only fear what will happen if this all goes wrong. Despite all this, they've been as supportive as they can be - she knows they care enough to want both of them to be happy.

"Just a long day at work, that's all," she says with a yawn. Schmidt and Winston go back to the TV, dropping whatever debate they'd been having, and she gives Nick a wink. He gives her one of _those_ grins right back and she knows they both know Winston's statement is true.

The night passes as they all head out to grab some dinner. Winston and Schmidt leave them early, heading out to some club, meeting up with Daisy and some of her friends.

Jess has forgotten about her unshaven legs until they're back at the loft.

Ironically enough, she's the one that starts it all tonight. It's not every day that they get the place to themselves. And while Winston and Schmidt are supportive, they're definitely not happy when they know what Nick and Jess are up to behind closed doors (and quite honestly, they don't particularly care to have Winston and Schmidt knowing what they're doing, either).

"I'm not tired," she whines to Nick as they enter the loft. "That nap really energized me. I'm going to be up half the night. _Unless_," she loops her arms around his neck. "You want to tire me out a little, Miller?"

He chuckles, leaning in to her and finding her lips with his own. "And if I don't tire you out you'll keep me up half the night with you anyway, won't you?"

"I say it's a win-win." She traces a pattern on his chest, over his t-shirt. "Either way you're going to be up half the night. Might as well get some."

He snorts at her words, but he kisses her. They kiss and laugh and nibble the whole way to Jess's bedroom. Nick closes the door behind them with his foot, guiding Jess straight to her bed. Giving her a push, they fall backwards on it together with a laugh and Jess pushes at his t-shirt, pulling it off over his head just as he heads for the zipper on her skirt and…

"Wait!" she gasps, pushing him off of her. He gives her one of those looks, a cross between "What the hell?" and "What now?" A cross between surprise and yet, not really, because this is so typical of her.

"Just," she leans over to kiss him quickly to promise him she'll be right back and he pulls her down to him, flush against his chest. She almost _almost_ forgets about her legs and almost lets the whole thing go. Maybe he won't even notice and this feels too good to stop and it was _only_ one day she skipped shaving them…

"No!" she squeals, managing to wriggle out of his grasp. She quickly kisses him once more then jumps up before he can capture her again. "Just one second."

"Jess," he whines as she bolts out of the bedroom. "Not this again._ Jess_!" He almost follows her, but then he just sighs audibly (she can hear him from the other room) and decides to just wait it out.

She returns quickly, only a minute or two later. He doesn't even ask as she gives him a grin and immediately jumps back on top of him and begins undressing him again.

"I hate it when you wear clohes," he tells her as he looks for the zipper on her dress. Once he finds it, it takes him less than a minute to get her out of it – he's started to figure out these damn things and has perfected the art of getting her undressed as quickly as possible (to make up for all those years he wasted _not_ undressing her).

He rolls her underneath him when he feels something damp and sticky on her leg. Frowning, he pulls away from her for a moment, reaching down to touch the leg in question.

"You're bleeding," he notes with a questioning frown. It takes him only a moment to process this information. "Jessica. Did you just go and shave your legs?" he questions her. She gives him a shrug and a sly smile. "Are you kidding me? You just ran out of here just now just to _shave your legs_?"

"I didn't have time this morning!" she admits to the offense and defends herself at the same time. "I was running late! Thanks to you and your sex antics."

"Hey! Sex antics? You're not so innocent yourself, Missy."

"Well, anyway... I just... took a sec to do it now."

"Seriously?" he grumbles.

She huffs. "I did it for _you_."

"Stop being ridiculous," he tells her.

"It's not ridiculous!" she returns. "I highly doubt unshaven legs are the least bit sexy."

"You have got to stop doing this," he mutters, playfully now. He leans down to kiss her and slides his hands up and down her bare waist, giving her a little poke, which makes her laugh. "I love you no matter what."

He realizes it's out the second he says it. His immediate reaction is to undo it. Retract it. Fix it. Not because it's not true. He realizes in that instant that it is, without a doubt, the truth. He's not even surprised by it because he's been feeling it longer than he's been admitting it. But he's afraid of her reaction. It's only been five weeks. Five weeks of them dating, and it's too early to say something like this. Isn't it?

Her eyes are wide and she doesn't say anything either. At first this increases his desire to undo it but then he realizes it's almost like she's waiting for him to take it back, waiting for him to suddenly panic moonwalk away from her (which would be a challenge, given their current state), unwilling to respond until he does.

So then, he doesn't take it back.

It's a long moment of silence, the statement hanging in the air between them (not that there's much space between them at the moment). Finally her lips curve into a smile and he can't help but feel relieved.

"Don't be so sure. You might just think you love me no matter what, but once you touch those legs…" She decides maybe she should stop the teasing and she looks up at him and right into his eyes. "I love you."

He hears her say the words, but it's almost hard to believe they're real. But she's so sure and confident in them that he has to believe she just said them.

He kisses her, or maybe she kisses him, or maybe they both go for it at the same time, neither one of them are quite sure. But right now he feels like he's on top of the world and like he couldn't possibly sleep anytime soon.

"I can prove it to you if you want," she says with a sly smile and teasingly slides her hand from his outer thigh to his inner thigh.

"Let _me_ prove it to _you_," he tells her with a smirk and she gasps as he nibbles that spot just below her ear, the one he found right away that makes her crazy.

"Fine. You first. Then my turn."

He chuckles against her collarbone, the vibrations against her skin making her squirm. "Guess we're going to be up half the night now anyway. Maybe all of it."

"No problemo. I don't have to worry about shaving in the morning anymore. Now that I know you love hairy legs."

He crinkles his nose at her. "Okay, let's not push it."

She laughs and loops both her arms around his neck. "Show me how much you love me, Nick Miller."


	5. The Fourth Time

_A/N: Not sure if Jess got that teaching job or not. I'm assuming she did, so in this story she is teaching kids again._

* * *

Jess is sick.

_Sick_, sick. Usually, her immune system keeps up pretty well with the kids she's around daily. Maybe it's because she's been teaching adults for the past year and her body has forgotten how kids are little balls of germs, how they tend to chew on pencils and forget to cover their mouths when they cough and accidentally sneeze _on_ her and want to hug her and come to school even when they have colds.

And now she's _sick_. She had woken up that morning with a sore throat, but had decided to push through it. It would be easier than calling in sick and worrying about leaving a sub lesson plans, she'd figured.

She has trouble using a strong enough voice to speak to the kids because of her throat. They eventually find this to be an excuse to act out - _Ms. Day won't tell me anything! Ms. Day isn't going to yell today!_ She manages to keep things somewhat line by focusing her attention on the students she knows respond well to her teacher look. By ten, she has the worst headache (that intensifies as the day goes on, the kids' behavior not helping matters much), and by noon she's sure she has a fever – alternating between fanning herself and bundling up in two coats. (Thank goodness she left another one of her jackets here last week!) By this point, she almost doesn't care what the kids do as long as they're not hurting each other. She somehow manages to make it through the day, despite progressively feeling more and more like complete and utter _crap_. It's hard enough to deal with a classroom full of children when she feels completely healthy – it's bordering on impossible when she's this sick.

As soon as her last student is out the door that afternoon, she's on her way home. Entering the loft, she heads straight for her bedroom.

They guys are out, and she finds herself alone. She assumes that Schmidt and Winston are at work. But Nick is nowhere to be found either, despite the fact that she knows he's working the late shift at the bar that night. Momentarily she wishes Nick were home for her to whine and complain to, but then she figures it's going to be good to have the place to herself so she can rest.

Thinking of Nick, she pulls her phone out of her purse and glances at it before stripping out of her clothes and into the most comfortable pair of shorts and tank top she has (currently, she is burning up) and grabbing a sweatshirt for the inevitable cold spell that is going to come next. Rummaging through her desk drawer she is happy to find two aspirin for the headache. She notices a text from Nick lighting up the screen. Earlier they had been flirting back and forth (one of their newest ways to pass the time when they're apart) but she has kind of left him hanging since she really started to feel like crap and it took all her energy to just stand upright and make it through the day.

She quickly writes him a text. "_I think I have a fever. Home now, going to sleep it off." _If she was even feeling slightly better, she would've thrown in some kind of joke about how hot she is, but she's just not up for it.

She glances at herself in the mirror and sighs, realizing she _looks_ as horrible as she feels. Her face is pale, her eyes are bloodshot, and she has a thin layer of sweat glistening across her forehead. She hopes Nick doesn't come home before heading to the bar, actually. _Who wants their boyfriend to see them looking like this?_ she thinks to herself with a grumble. Even if he does come home, she figures she won't see him anyhow. General rules of the loft were, when sick, one should be quarantined to their room. Schmidt is pretty serious about enforcing this rule (not surprisingly, he's kind of a germaphobe).

She doesn't even wait to see if he replies to her text and snuggles up under the covers, sleep coming instantly. She dozes for a while, her head continuing to pound despite the aspirin as she alternates in and out of weird, sickness induced dreams, not really sleeping much at all. Finally, she hears a soft knock and the creak of her bedroom door.

"Hey, Jess?"

Nick.

"Don't come near me," she warns him. "I'm _really_ sick." She isn't sure if she's really trying to spare him her germs, or her horrendous appearance.

He ignores her warning (typical Nick, she thinks, _stubborn)_ and marches into her room anyway. She's noticed the past few weeks that they seem to have less and less boundaries when it comes to their bedrooms. He comes to the side of her bed, hand reaching out for her forehead. "You're burning up!" he exclaims.

"102.3," she informs him matter-of-factly.

"Jeez, Jess! Did you take something for it? Let me get you a cold towel."

"I'm okay, don't worry," she mutters, her energy still failing her. And then he's gone. She isn't sure if he's realized he shouldn't be around someone with such a high fever or if he'd taken offense, but she's feeling too crappy to really give it much worry.

But, then he's back a minute later with a washcloth and she realizes he was just leaving to get her the cold towel she claimed she didn't need. This time he sits down on the edge of the bed nearest her and holds the wet rag to her forehead, pushing her bangs out of the way. "This should help," he tells her gently

She sighs, feeling some relief at the cool sensation on her forehead and a sense of comfort at Nick taking care of her. She momentarily wonders if he took care of Jamie a lot when they were growing up. He leaves the cloth to rest on her forehead and then moves to the other side of her bed and adjusts her blankets and her pillow so that they are no longer all astray from her restless slumber.

"You should rest some more," he tells her as he sits down beside her and rubs gentle circles on her back.

"Nick, you're going to get sick," she mutters in warning before dozing off, lulled to sleep by his soft touch.

Her room is dark and there are no traces of sunlight outside her window anymore when she wakes up again. She grabs her phone from her nightstand beside her and notices that it's almost three hours later. The pounding in her head has stopped, thank goodness, and she notices she's drenched in sweat.

Beside her, she's surprised to find Nick dozing slightly, hand resting on her hip. When she stirs, he wakes instantly.

"Feeling any better?" he asks her immediately.

She's covered in sweat and _knows _she must look like a hot mess, but she can't bring herself to really care that Nick is seeing her like this and touching her sweat and so near her disgustingly sick body. At that moment all she can do is think about how _in love_ she is with this man.

"Have you been here this whole time?" she asks him, blinking and rubbing at her eyes. They feel sensitive to the touch and she winces a bit.

"I think your fever broke," he states, ignoring her question and making a statement of his own instead as he runs his hand over her forehead.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better. _Gross_, but better."

"Good," he says in that ever-so-gentle voice again.

"Well, this has been fun," she groans and he gives a small chuckle of sympathy. "Hopefully it doesn't take you too long to erase these completely unsexy images of me from your mind."

Nick snorts. "I find you sexy right now."

She can't help but laugh. "Yeah, sure. What's sexiest, my bloodshot eyes? My runny nose? The sweat that's covering every inch of me?"

He chuckles and resists the urge to kiss her, knowing she's sick. "I think it's clear, Jessica, that we've established I _always_ find you sexy."

"Finding me sexy even when I'm in pajamas or a bathrobe or have just woken up is totally different than when I'm a sick, gross, mess."

He thinks by now she would know better than to doubt this, but he can see she's _actually_ a little insecure about this. It's not like he hasn't seen her sick before. She's lived when him two years - he's listened to her throw up when she had the flu, he's heard her blow her nose nonstop for three days, he's seen her move around the loft looking like crap. Then again, back then he wasn't her boyfriend and he knows sometimes you want to leave some of your most unattractive moments to the imagination when you're in a relationship with someone.

"Look, Jess. I promise you that as soon as you're better I'll be ripping your clothes off again."

She's taken by surprise at his words and she lets out a laugh, despite her sickness. "Thank you for staying with me," she tells him softly.

He's about to respond when Schmidt's voice rings out through the loft. "Nick! Where are you? You're late for work, Man! Shane's looking for you!"

"Crap!" Nick says, glancing at the clock on Jess's bedside table. He looks at Jess again. "Do you want me to stay? I could call in…"

"No! You should go. I mean, you've been here with me long enough. I'll probably just sleep some more anyway. You shouldn't call in sick over this." The logical part of her speaks, but she can't help but think of how much she would love for him to tell _Shane_ he isn't coming in tonight so he could stay with _her_. Stupid Shane. She hates Shane.

He nods and gives her a kiss on the forehead, despite her attempts at waving him away. _Take that, Shane! _she thinks.

"I'll check on you when I get home," he promises her. "Call me if you need anything!"

"Thank you," she says again. As he attempts to get up from the bed, she grabs his hand. "I love you," she adds and he gives her a goofy grin in response.

This whole thing has spiraled so far out of control in only seven weeks. It was probably the fastest relationship either of them have ever been in, but it's all so _right_. It became domesticated faster than any other, probably because it was already partially that way before it began. But neither one of them had ever expected it to be this intense, this real, this… _amazing_.

Watching him go, she realizes she is so in love with him it's ridiculous, and it's only becoming worse as the days pass.

She closes her eyes, immediately falling into a peaceful sleep.

When she wakes up next, it's the middle of the night. The loft is dark and silent, everyone presumably having arrived home and all now in bed for the night. Her lights are off (she's pretty sure she'd fallen asleep with them on?) and then she rolls over to find Nick once again, peacefully slumbering beside her.

She's not sure she's ever let any boyfriend see her in such a disgusting, vulnerable, state. She remembered ignoring Spencer for days the first time she was sick with a little cold and he wanted to come visit her and bring her soup. "_I'm allergic to soup!" _ she had told him in a panic.

But Nick is… _Nick_.

He must sense that she is awake because he rolls towards her and reaches out for her. Immediately she begins to worry about him contracting her germs, but she gives in. He seems insistent on getting near her.

"Night, sexy," he mummers in to her shoulder and she lets out a laugh, surprised.

_Love, love, love, love him,_ she thinks inside her head.

"Back atcha," she replies, comforted by the feel of Nick's arm around her.

* * *

A/N 2: It's occurred to me that most of these stories are kind of from Jess's POV. I came up with this idea when showering one day, thinking about how if you were in a relationship with your roommate you would probably always want to have your legs shaved. So then I started thinking of other things that you would have to think about differently if you were in a brand new relationship with someone you live with – but who you're not _living with_ already and it's still new enough you aren't ready to completely let your guard down. So, it came to me from a woman's POV. Not really sure what guys might do to prep for dates like women do, ha! So that's why it's a lot of Jess freaking out about Nick and not vice versa.


	6. The Fifth Time

They breakup for a while, once.

Nick's on his "I'm not good enough for you" kick once more.

"God, Nick!" Jess exclaims. "I can't keep having this conversation! I tell you over and over that I want _you_ as you _are_ and you keep sabotaging us with these insecurities!"

"Exactly," Nick snaps. "Who wants that, huh? You deserve someone who's confident and secure with himself. Well that's not me, I guess, is it?"

"Then let's call it!" she exclaims, a part of her wondering if she's going to regret these words very soon, the very words that started this whole thing. Well, yeah. She _knows_ if they call it, she's going to regret it very soon, but the words are out and Nick looks like he's about to agree.

"It's already called," Nick spats, and storms off towards who knows where (not the direction of her car).

Jess watches him, tired, ready to just go home fall into her bed.

Then the realization hits that they _freaking live together._

_Damn this whole thing to hell_, Jess thinks.

First, she tries to call his cell several times because what the hell is she supposed to do, abandon him in Downtown LA? After an hour, she realizes he's taken off and she decides to try and beat him home (though he's had a pretty decent head start if he headed right home). She heads back to the loft and when she arrives, Schmidt and Winston are sitting at the kitchen table, eating some Chinese takeout and talking about some kind of unimportant, trivial thing. It's the kind of thing the two of them, hell, the four of them, always do and yet now it pisses her off. She only becomes aware then that she's started crying somewhere on the way home. She slams the door and when Schmidt and Winston look at her, their expressions change into those of concern and worry.

"Jess?" Winston asks, "You okay?"

"Fine!" she says, trying her hardest not to cry again, hoping there's a hint of cheeriness in her voice. "I'll just be in my room!" and she dashes off, door shutting quickly behind her.

Nick arrives not much later. When the door opens, Schmidt is ready to alert him to his girlfriend's tears, but then he and Winston catch a glimpse of Nick, looking like hell.

They both look at him in silence for a moment and then Schmidt groans. "Damnit!"

"You and Jess… fight?" Winston asks, hopeful that's all it is. It wouldn't be the first time Nick and Jess had argued since being a couple.

"We broke up," Nick grunts. "We called it. And I don't want to hear about it," he warns, looking directly at Schmidt.

"I knew you'd screw this up, Nicholas!" Schmidt bursts. "Damn. This is going to be such a _mess_…"

"I _said_ I don't want to hear about it!" Nick reminds him with a death glare.

"I don't care if you want to hear it," Winston says suddenly piping in, "We're the ones who are going to have to live with the fallout." Schmidt nods, enthusiastically agreeing. "What happened, man?"

"I'm just not good enough for her, okay?" he tells them. "End of story. We've been kidding ourselves this whole time."

"Nick, you know she hates it when you start that," Schmidt tells him.

"Yeah, look, I know, but it's the truth. She deserves someone who can give her things. The things she deserves. Not someone who barely gets by on a crappy salary and has a car that barely runs and doesn't eat vegetables. I'm 32 years old and I'm like a 22 year old."

"Well, she's in her room crying," Winston notes, "so I'm not sure she's quite on the same page as you there, Buddy."

"It doesn't matter," Nick says, a pang of regret hitting him at the thought of Jess crying over him just feet away. "We called it. It's done. We had our fun."

Schmidt and Winston give each other a look, and Nick glares at them.

"I really can't do the new roommate thing," Winston grumbles.

"You're telling me. I'm too old for this," Schmidt agrees.

"Who do you think is going to leave?"

"Nick," Schmidt says. "He's going to run away. Jess can hack it."

"What the hell, I'm right here!" Nick shouts.

"Well, isn't it the truth? You ran way from Jess, after all," Schmidt shoots back. "When it got real, you ran."

"Look, _she's_ the one who called it," Nick clues him in.

"Well she's the one who's in her room crying, so you're the one who has to go," Winston tells him, crossing his arms over his chest. Schmidt nods. Nick is momentarily torn between anger at these two guys for choosing Jess over him and a little touched that they're so protective. Then he remembers that their protectiveness is going to cause him to be out on the street, so he lets the anger take over.

"And," Schmidt adds, "You're the one who started this whole thing with her in the first place. This is your mess."

"What the hell, Schmidt! You're the one that begged us to let her move in because she had hot model friends, which worked out _real_ well for all of us, by the way. So maybe you're the one who should go!" Nick hollers, and goes to his room and slams the door.

"Yeah, well I went for the friend, not the roommate!" Schmidt yells at the closed door. Winston kicks him and he gasps. "Ow!"

"Shut up, man. Jess can hear you, she lives here too."

"Crap. This is _the_ worst situation."

For a week, Nick and Jess don't speak. Neither of them come out of their bedrooms unless they have to go to work, and since they work at different times, it's easy to avoid each other. It's not a normal couple living together break up. It's a couple living together with two other roommates who weren't _living_ together, living together breakup.

Jess wakes up early and showers and sneaks out to work. She comes home and goes right to her room, making sure not to emerge around the time Nick will be getting ready to head out to the bar. Once he's out, she sometimes sneaks out to get some food or to run out and grab some dinner, but she avoids Winston and Schmidt, too – afraid of what they might think, whose side they might be on, or what they might be feeling about the whole thing. Nick has it easier, because when he's home in the mornings and early afternoons, the loft is empty so he can eat in peace and hide in his room completely when everyone is home.

"Is this how it's going to be forever?" Winston wonders to Schmidt.

After two weeks, Nick comes out of his room early, even though he has a late shift at the bar. He knows it's the time Jess sneaks in after work, but he goes out anyway so she can hear this.

"I'm looking for a new place," he declares to the three roommates, all of whom look at him with a blank stare. This is the first time he and Jess have looked each other straight in the eye since the moment of the official break-up.

Then he heads out to the door of the loft and leaves them in the kitchen, surprised. Winston and Schmidt look at each other momentarily and then chance a glance at Jess.

"Sorry guys," is all she says, softly, before retreating to her hideaway.

In the end, it's _because_ they live together that they get things together and work it out.

Though they avoid each other those first two weeks, they hear each other. Nick hears Jess crying every single night. He can't imagine that it's him that could make her cry so much. Is he seriously that much of a loss?

Jess hears Nick in his room, shoving things around and muttering under his breath all the time. She knows he's upset, because normally he's too unmotivated to move things around as much as he's been moving his furniture lately.

It's been three weeks since their breakup, and only in the past week have they started to stop hiding. They manage to stay in the same room for a minute or two or even three before escaping. One day Jess even pours herself a bowl of cereal while Nick is sitting at the kitchen table with Winston, reading the paper.

One night when Jess hears Nick come home from work and start shoving things around, she takes a deep breath and walks across the hall. She can't take it anymore. She can't be so close to him and yet, so far away from him. She can't stand the thought of him leaving, and when she thinks of someone else moving in to his room, she feels sick. She thinks about how she'd _never see him again_ and that's just ludicrous.

"Schmidt's going to be mad if you wake him up," she says, and Nick jumps, surprised by her presence as she leans on the doorjam. "Don't move out," she tells him softly.

"We can't keep living like this," Nick tells her, standing to face her. "It's not good for any of us."

"Why can't you just trust me," Jess says suddenly, and he's confused and she's surprised at how bold she's suddenly being.

"What?"

"When I tell you that you're good enough, why don't you believe me?" she clarifies.

The room is silent and Nick isn't sure how to respond, because the truth is, he isn't sure.

"I don't know," he tells her honestly. "I really don't. I know you love me but that doesn't mean I'm what you need."

"If I love you, how could you be anything else than what I need?"

"Jess," he says with a sigh. "I'm already thirty-two years old, and I just… you deserve so much. You deserve a family one day and…"

"And why couldn't you give that to me?" she challenges him.

"I'm a mess. I had a horrible father figure to learn from, I'm angry half the time, and I work at a bar and barely make enough money to get by."

"You're not the mess that you think you are, Nick," she says, stepping into his room now. "Your family thinks you're amazing and they depend on you. You're not angry, you're just… grumpy sometimes, but who cares. And you're obviously good at your job because you've been there years and I've seen you work and you know what you're doing. And you make enough money to support yourself. So tell me, what, really, is so wrong with you?"

"I want to be with you, Jess," he tells her, honestly, which is rare for him. "I love you so much. But I need to be more for you."

"You don't _need_ to," she tells him.

"I need to," he tells her. "Because I want all those things you want, too. I want to marry you," she gasps in surprise at this, at how easily he's expressing his emotions suddenly. "I want to have a home with you, children… the damn dog if you want."

Jess laughs a little. "We could do all that," she assures him. "And that's all I've ever wanted from you, Nick. To tell me how you feel."

"But we'll be struggling," he tells her. "Unless I change some things."

"Nick, we can make it work. I don't know what you want me to tell you. I don't want you to change. Maybe we won't be rich, but we won't be living on the streets, either. But I'd rather be happy with you than living the good life with some guy I don't love like I love you. If you're talking about your job, your career, that's one thing. But if you're talking about you, the person you are inside… that person is good enough for me. In every single way. And I don't ever want to hear again that he's not because that pisses me off because I'm in love with him. And I don't let anyone talk about him like that."

He smiles at her and they seem to be stuck in a moment of confusion.

"Are you going to kiss me or what?" she demands and he laughs and moves towards her, grabbing her instantly. She opens her mouth to him and his tongue sneaks inside, but just as quickly, it's gone and he's pulled away from her and she gives him a pout and a look of confusion.

"I think I want to go back to school," he tells her and she gaps at him. "I was thinking, I am good at my job. I know the bar, I know my drinks. I could do more. I could manage a bar, easily."

It's a lot for her to process and it's more motivation than she's heard from Nick Miller, _ever._ "Is that what you really want to do?"

"Yes," he tells her, kissing her again. He pulls away for a moment and whispers in her ear, "I know I'm good enough for you. I know you want to be with me. I'm sorry you were crying all those nights." She closes her eyes, embarrassed. "But I still want to be more for you. For me. For _us_."

"If this is what you really want to do," she tells him, "For _you_, I'll support you completely."

"I love you," he says softly and she grins.

"I love you too."

"Uncall it?" he asks, and she bursts out laughing.

"Yes, uncall it. And no more calling this, okay? This is getting out of hand."

"Deal."


	7. And One Time They Don't

Nick and Jess.

It gradually becomes less _Nick and Jess_ and more _Nick-and-Jess_ and finally _NickandJess._

It's somewhere around the time that it becomes _Nick-and-Jess_ (and after uncalling it for the second time) that they stop sweating the small things. Instead of worrying about Nick seeing her while she's sick, Jess thinks he _better_ take care of her and bring her soup (granted, he'd done that since before they were even dating). She's not intimidated by him seeing her less sexy undergarmets anymore. He doesn't fret not being good enough for her anymore, even in his moments of doubt.

And somehow all this just makes their relationship even better. They're comfortable and connected in a way neither of them have really been with anyone else before.

It's been over a year and sure, there have been some bumps in the road (some pebbles and even a pothole of a breakup), but here they are, eighteen months later, together.

Jess knows this is serious. She's also well aware that despite the fact that Sadie told her she has a ridiculous amount of eggs, she's getting older. She knows that she and Nick can't spend forever stuck in a stalemate, here. They either go forward, or if moving forward isn't in the future, they better cut their ties now.

Unfortunately, neither making decisions like this _or_ taking action are not Nick's strong suits. She's come to deal with this, work around it.

She's well aware she's probably going to have to be the one to give them that push. However, part of her fears that she might just push him right out the door if she does it the wrong way.

Gradually, Nick finds himself living out of Jess's room. She usually wakes before he does, especially when he works the night shifts. Even when he doesn't, his days don't have to start as early as hers. Sometimes he wakes to eat breakfast with her, but not always (sometimes she doesn't even eat breakfast herself) and therefore, they begin to spend their nights together in Jess's room so that in the morning she's able to get up and find her things when getting ready for work. Eventually, Nick's things start showing up in her room: his cell phone charger, his deodorant, his pajamas, a hoodie, an extra t-shirt or two. Then their laundry starts mixing together and one day Jess just washes some of his shirts with her clothes and when she folds the laundry, she simply brings his stuff into her room and stores it there and then it never seems to leave again.

Eventually they're a couple, living together, with two roommates.

Though they never really speak about it, they both know that the idea of leaving Schmidt and Winston is a little painful.

Nick almost moved out with Caroline once, but somehow that was different. That was him, moving in with his girlfriend. In this case he and Jess, both of them, are part of this weird sort of _family_ and they know they're going to break it up. And since both of them understand this family dynamic, are a _part_ of it, neither of them really push the other into leaving like an outsider might do.

Nick is taking management courses now. Jess, Winston and Schmidt had all supported him right away. Schmidt immediately began talking to him about the perks of owning his own bar and that he could help him scout locations and find reliable employees. Instead of panicking, Nick just told him "One step at a time!"

It's summer, when it happens.

Jess is in the loft. She's teaching summer school, but summer school is only half days so she finds herself home early, having the loft to herself for a few hours, most days.

She'd been clicking around on Facebook, looking at yet another of her childhood friends' wedding photos and baby pics of the _second_ child of one of her high school classmates. _I'm not going to push him_, she reminds herself. At the same time, though, she wonders if that means he'll never make a move.

She resists the urge to look at wedding dresses, something she indulges in from time to time. She knows the dress she wants already – well, the style, at least – and what dresses she wants her bridesmaids to wear. And it's not just any wedding dress, it's her wedding dress for her wedding to Nick. She knows that because she chooses one that she knows is one Nick will like.

Just then, Nick comes bounding into the loft, seemingly excited about something. He grins at her and then glances around to see who else is there.

"Hey –" she begins, amused by his appearance, but he cuts her off right away.

"Shane is leaving," he tells her breathlessly. _Well,_ she thinks, this is good news for _her_, but she's surprised he's so happy about it. _See ya, Shane!_ She's feeling a little stupid for some petty jealousy, but then again she has to pat herself on the back for letting Nick go to work with freaking _Shane_ for the past year and a half they've been together without an issue. Even though she hates Shane.

And okay, maybe there was that _one_ issue, but –

"I'm the new manager!" he interrupts her thoughts and she's shaken because she's been so in her own head she hadn't really had a chance to process what he was saying.

"What? Nick! That's amazing!" she squeals and throws her arms around him in a hug. He hugs her back, but it almost seems half-hearted and then he's gone, heading towards – _his_ room? When the heck does he ever go in _there_ anymore?

She's so confused now, she really doesn't see the next thing coming. He comes back into the living room and tells her, "I couldn't have done it without you. You inspire me to be better."

"I don't need you to be _better_," she reminds him.

"I know. But I want to be. Because you make me realize I have potential. And I've put more effort into our relationship than I ever have any other because you inspire me. You make me happy. You make me want to get the most out of life."

"Nick… " she says softly, touched by his words, and then the real shocker comes.

"Marry me?" he asks her and for the first time she notices he's pulled a ring out of his pocket (no box, of course… this is Nick Miller, after all!) and her head is spinning and she's really taken by surprise at all of this. _I was just thinking about my wedding dress. And now I actually need one_ and then she realizes that she's thinking as if this is a done deal but she's yet to say anything.

"Yes!" she exclaims, and it surprises her how relieved she is – relieved that he's ready for this, too.

He puts the ring on her finger and she's still not sure this is really happening. _When the hell did he get a ring? How long has he been thinking about this? What is going on?_

Nick is laughing, and she frowns, then he says, "It was my grandmother's. I've had it for a year." Suddenly she realizes she has said her last thoughts aloud. _Get a grip, Jess. You're acting nuts._

He kisses her and she kisses him back, furiously. He breaks the kiss suddenly and she whines a little bit.

"Sorry… this is not how I meant to do this," he tells her. "I was just… so ready for it."

"Me too," she tells him and kisses him again.

They finally face the music: they have to move out.

Schmidt and Winston have seen it coming, so they're not so surprised. In fact, Schmidt is in pretty deep with Cece himself, so it's only a matter of time before he makes the same choice. But it's still hard on all of them to know their little foursome is coming to an end.

Nick and Jess move into their own apartment a few months later.

They find it hilarious to joke about living together. "I hope we can hack it," Nick says.

"I'm worried I'm going to find you obnoxious when you're around all the time," Jess jokes.

"I wonder if you have any annoying habits," Nick teases.

"It's better we live together before we get married so we can try it out," Jess reasons and they both cackle at that one.

The biggest adjusting they have to do is learn how to live without Schmidt keeping things running smoothly, not how to live with each other.

Jess isn't surprised that Nick isn't the neatest. Nick isn't surprised that Jess is a morning person and sings all throughout the apartment before the sun is even up. Jess isn't annoyed to find things fancy fixed. Nick doesn't take offense to the arts and crafts projects Jess tries out at home before doing a lesson with her class. Jess knows Nick can't cook. Nick knows Jess snores. They already know that it's her job to load the dishwasher and his to empty it.

Instead, the adjustments they have to make are realizing they have the entire place to themselves. They can make out without getting caught. They can have sex with their bedroom door open. They can _have sex on the couch!_ if they want to (which, they do). Hell, they can even have sex in the kitchen without getting caught _or_ feeling guilty that their roommates have to use that space, too.

"Hey, when we have kids," Jess says one day, "It'll just be like going back to having roommates." He laughs.

Schmidt makes the best man toast at their wedding (Winston is a best man, too. But Schmidt thinks he's _the_ best man, since Cece is Maid of Honor and _how perfect is that! We're going to hook up anyway!_). Winston gladly gives Schmidt the privilege of making the first, main speech. Ever since Walt's funeral Winston hasn't really had a desire to get up and speak in front of a crowd.

On this day, everything is less _NickandJess_ and it's all _Nicholas and Jessica_, and even Schmidt's toast follows this pattern.

"Nicholas and Jessica," he says. "What a couple. You know, Nick, if I recall, I was the one that pushed for Jess to move in. You're welcome." The crowd laughs at this and Schmidt continues. "What I think is amazing about these two is that they've lived together for as long as they've known each other. They've never known each other a day without living together. And they will never know each other without living together. From the moment Jessica Day moved in with us, she and Nick would never live apart again. I think that's a true testament to how strong their love is. They had every chance in the world to get sick of each other and instead they fell in love. I have no doubt they will be living together, happily, for the rest of their lives."

It's a nice speech, especially given that Schmidt is the one giving it – they can't even ask for any money in the jar today.

They are happy. Things are smooth sailing for their first year of marriage.

They have a little girl in their second year of marriage.

Oddly enough, as Jess had joked, living together as a couple with roommates had prepared them for this. The struggle to get private time together, other people's needs for their attention, the constant chaos around them.

They want to have two kids. "A Schmidt and a Winston," Jess had said, and Nick made a definite turtle face at that.

"Please, do not refer to any of our kids as a Schmidt, ever. Existent or not."

Two years later, they have twins.

It's just enough of a kink in their plans to keep their life from getting too easy.


End file.
